ts anything, for she is so like my
sainted mother that I often start at the resemblance. To me, in her
young face and figure my mother lives again. The agreement was to tell
How I Came to Canada. To that I now add, How we Got On in its Backwoods.

HOW WE GOT ON IN THE BACKWOODS

CHAPTER V.

SEEKING FOR LAND

Leaving Mr Auld and Mr Brodie to see to the unloading of the baggage, we
followed the master up the brae to the street that faces the lake, and
entered a tavern. While waiting for dinner he told us of his experience
in Toronto, not all, for he added to it for a week afterwards, but the
substance of his complete story I will tell at once. The morning after
his arrival be went to the office of the surveyor-general, and found
several in the waiting-room; three he recognized as having come with him
in the steamboat from Kingston. Like himself they all wanted land.
Talking among themselves, an Englishman, who said he had been in Toronto
four days, declared he had got sick coming to the office; he had thought
there would be no difficulty in getting a lot and going to it at once,
but found it was not so. The money he had to carry them to their new
home was going in paying for board of his family. Unless he was assigned
a lot that day, he would cross to the States. All were eager to get
their lots at once; Canada invited emigrants yet, when they came to her
door, there was no hurry in serving them. The master asked the reason,
and got a number of answers. One was that there was too much formality
and redtape, another that the officials were above their business and
treated emigrants as if they were inferior animals, but the reason that
struck the master most was that given by the emigrant who said this was
his fourth day, which was, that if an emigrant had any money they wanted
him to buy land, instead of giving him a government grant. While they
were talking the headman of the office walked past them, accompanied by
a gentleman in military uniform, and went into the inner room. Both
gentlemen were speaking loudly. 'Yes,' said the surveyor-general, 'we
are building a future empire here, and would like more recognition from
the Home government of our services. We are doing a great work with
imperfect means.' 'Ah!' exclaimed the officer, 'what do you need?' 'We
need more money and more officials to direct the stream of immigration.'
So they went on gabbling, while by this time there were over fifty of us
in